Most habitable buildings are made of vertical support members formed from wood or metal studs. These vertical support members form a substructure on which sheets of sheathing material are attached to form the walls of the building substructure. These walls require an external covering to keep rain, snow, sunlight, and other environmental factors off of the wall substructure, particularly when the sheathing material is formed of oriented strand board (OSB) or other products that are not tolerant to being in contact with significant amounts of moisture. Another covering for the wall substructure that is often selected is a covering formed of a masonry construction, such as stucco, brick, or stone, which can be either natural or artificial.
A masonry outer layer, whether it is brick, stone, stucco, or other masonry covering, requires substantial skill to be constructed properly. In response to a need for a simplified exterior masonry covering, artificial brick and stone wall panels were developed to be applied to a building wall in a manner similar to vinyl siding. However, to make a proper fit at the exterior corners of the building and have a desirable appearance, considerable care needed to be taken to provide a precise fit of the two panels joining together to make the exterior corner of the covering material. The time required to make this proper fit for the brick or stone panels resulted in lost operating efficiency, as well as substantial material waste if the panels did not precisely fit together to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Corner structures for the outer walls of prefabricated buildings and simulated surfaces are known in the art. Such corner structures provide a pleasing appearance to the home or commercial building. Non-limiting examples of corner structures for buildings are set forth below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,426,490 to Taylor discloses a brick veneer panel formed of individual brick veneer blocks held together by a wire mesh. The veneer blocks have the same length, width, and color of conventional bricks, but are made from a plastic material. The bricks are molded on a wire mesh lath with the veneer blocks spaced from each other and positioned in a staggered pattern simulating a course of bricks. The corners are covered with corner panels that have perpendicular surfaces. The corner units are formed of brick veneer blocks which are staggered so that alternate rows of the blocks project beyond the end of blocks of intermediate rows to form an interlocking edge for engaging the adjacent wall panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,910 to Taylor, et al. teaches brick slab facings mounted upon a backing sheet in courses. The lowermost course extends below the lower edge of the panel. Joints in alternate courses are staggered relative to each other. L-shaped pieces are mounted at the corner of the structure between the brick slabs to complete the course.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,719 to Salazar discloses a decorative wall panel that includes a continuous base layer and a patterned layer bonded to the surface of the base layer. The base layer is formed of a reinforced cementitious material and the patterned layer is formed of a slow cured molded mixture of Portland cement, sand, and a pigmented binder. The patterned layer may have a simulated brick appearance. Opposite ends of the panels mate and interlock with ends of similarly constructed panels. A corner section panel is adapted to form a right angle corner. The corner panel section may be an integral unit or it may be two sections that are adapted to fit together to form the corner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,055 to Hardt teaches a building corner arrangement for the outer wall of homes and other buildings that are formed from prefabricated panels made from concrete or other cementitious materials. The panel end walls are angled with respect to their inner and outer surfaces at an angle that lies within the range from about 0 to about ninety degrees so that a groove or slot is formed that extends the height of the building. A mold shaped to define an inside corner and outside corner is affixed to the corner of the building. Concrete or other cementitious material is introduced into the groove until it reaches the top of the mold. Once the concrete or cementitious material is cured, the mold is removed. The result is the formation of a building corner similar to a French Provincial style home.
Although corner structures are known in the art, there remains a need in the at for a corner quoin structure that may be utilized with brick or stone wall panels, including simulated wall panels, so that the wall panels may be installed in a less precise manner. In addition, the corner quoin structure would provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior covering for the wall substructure and a functional design that permits water and condensation drainage at the exterior corners of the building.